Second ekphrastic poem written for the painting by M. Rackham Barnes
O little town of blah blah blah
how still you lie
beneath this sky
where stars look down
and sternly frown
on ghosts that walk
with loping stalk
down every street
but never meet
a living soul
in this dead hole.
O starry sky I wonder why
we don’t just die
and say goodbye,
leave bird and beast
the world. At least
they’re dignified
not mummified,
know vanity
from humanity
and live in peace
not war and fleece.
Our moral compass broken lies,
to broken truths we close our eyes,
the answer’s always firearms,
and incoherent false alarms
in each and every empty head—
we’re dead.
Jane Dougherty Writes 
A dark counterpoint to the sickly carol that inspired it. Sadly, probably a more fitting description of the world today than the original is. Well written, Jane
Thanks. It popped out easy as a hymn tune 🙂
Yes, it felt a little like that.
Oh! That is scary, especially that last verse, no hope for the hopeless 💜
There never is.
Indeed
Dont be so pessimistic, Jane. 😉 The New World Order is near, but honestly i think just the other way some the workers on it will have.
Perfect for the painting. I especially like the world-weary tone. (K)
It doesn’t look like the most dynamic of places.